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Zusatztext "For a great list of campsites and hiking trails pick up a copy of One Night Wilderness: San Francisco Bay Area ." -- San Francisco Guide ! October 2011 Informationen zum Autor Matt Heid is the author of 101 Hikes in Northern California and Best Backpacking Trips in New England, a contributor to Backpacking California, and a researcher and writer for three Let's Go guides. He holds a degree in earth and planetary science from Harvard University and stays busy pursuing a passion for outdoor writing and remote wilderness adventure in Northern California, Alaska, and New England. He currently lives in Framingham, Massachusetts. Klappentext This comprehensive guide presents 28 featured one- or two-night backpacking trips with easy to follow maps and ratings of every trip. Leseprobe 13 Portola Redwoods State Park RATINGS: Scenery 5, Difficulty 3, Solitude 4 ROUND-TRIP DISTANCE: 5.0 miles to trail camp; 12.0 miles to Peters Creek Grove ELEVATION GAIN/LOSS: +650'/–650' to trail camp; +2,250'/–2,250' to grove RECOMMENDED MAP: Portola Redwoods State Park Map by California State Parks and the Portola and Castle Rock Foundation BEST TIMES: May through November AGENCY: Portola Redwoods State Park, (650) 948-9098, www.parks.ca.gov. Visitor center is open daily in summer; in the off-season it’s open Friday– Sunday and sporadically the rest of week. PERMIT: Reservations are required for Slate Creek Trail Camp and can be made up to two months in advance by calling (831) 338-8861, Monday–Friday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Trail camp is closed November through April. Highlights: The cloak of the redwood forest hushes sound, diffuses light, and radiates life. Travel through a dense canopy of regeneration to a shady trail camp, your base for exploring a distant stand of huge old-growth redwoods: the lightly traveled Peters Creek Grove. Hike Overview The journey to Slate Creek Trail Camp winds through a thick redwood forest rejuvenating from recent logging activity. From camp, a moderately strenuous 7-mile round-trip to Peters Creek Grove rewards with ancient majesty. Nearby Slate Creek is delightful as well and makes for good adventuring closer to camp. Expect damp, cool conditions year-round as the forest canopy blocks out most sun and is often infused with fog or rain. Trail Camp Slate Creek Trail Camp features six sites spread along a broad forested saddle and populated with a thick forest of young redwood, Douglas-fir, and tanoak. Water is not available in camp, but perennial Slate Creek can be accessed a third of a mile and a hundred feet down from camp on Slate Creek Trail. Picnic tables and an outhouse are provided, but there are no food lockers to protect your victuals—hang your food or it may be gone in the morning. The trail camp receives moderate use, mostly on summer weekends. Except for the busiest summer weekends and holidays, however, it is seldom full. Campfires and dogs are prohibited. Sites cost $15 per night (maximum six people per site). You must mail an $8 nonrefundable reservation fee to secure the site (21600 Big Basin Way, Boulder Creek, CA 95006). Pay your camping fees at the visitor center once you arrive. Getting There: Take Highway 35 to the turnoff for Alpine Road, located 6 miles north of the junction of Highways 35 and 9 and 7 miles south of the junction of Highways 35 and 84. Head south on Alpine Road, and in 2.5 miles bear left on Price Avenue to continue downward for another 3 miles to the visitor center. Note that the access road is steep and winding, and RVs and trailers are not recommended. Backpackers must register at the visitor center before proceeding to the trailhead, on the left just past the campground entrance and posted for Slate Creek Trail. Hiking It: The trail begins on Slate Creek Trail (0.0/430'), passing redwoods, canyon live oak, and the ubiquitous spiny leaves of small ...
